How Much to Pay For a Personal Air Purifier

There are many different types and calibers of personal air purifiers.  These go from low quality to very high quality, and as with any product, the price corresponds pretty well to the quality of the product.  Brands that have made names for themselves, and have proven beyond any doubt that their products work and operate effectively, have earned the right to charge higher prices for what they sell.  If you want to take the lower priced route, that is fine, but understand that you get what you pay for.

For some people, the cheap air purification systems out there might work for them.  If you do not have any breathing problems and just want to improve your air slightly, a cheap air filter might be enough for you.  Not everybody needs the best of everything, and indeed nobody can have the best of everything; you need to make decisions and sacrifices, and if you do not need an extravagant air filter, then there is no point in springing for one.

The next step up would be medium-level air filters.  You would definitely want one of these if you have breathing problems, and for some people they might be able to fix those problems completely.  These kinds of machines can take out most of the major inhibiting particles in the air, such as dust, dander, pollen, and smoke.  These air filters cost a few hundred dollars, and they can last a long time, while retaining operating efficiency all the way through.

The final option would be the highest quality air filters.  These filters can take out particles much smaller than lesser filters.  They use techniques such as ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and photocatalytic oxidation (interesting names, right?)  These methods can remove far more contaminants from the air than simple filters can, and are great for people with serious breathing difficulties.  If you have a lot of money, there is no reason you should not get yourself the best air filter out there.

To determine what you need, you have to give yourself a self-assessment.  You do not want to pay more money than you need to, but you want something that will fit your needs as well.  You may be the kind of person who really needs an air filter for their health, and in that case, the price is not as important as the relief that you will feel.  For the average person, a mid-level air filter would probably work out fine.

Blueair 501 Air Purification System

The Bluair 501 air purifier is a great choice for individuals who want a quality system in their home.  Everybody benefits from owning an air purifier, as it cleans out the air and helps us stay generally healthy.  The air we breathe has a significant effects on our health and happiness, so it is important that we try to get the best stuff possible.

People can be resistant to purchasing an air purifier because of the bad hype that some of them have gotten.  However, there are many out there that are very good, and the Blueair 501 is one of them.  It works by ionizing particles in the air, and then removing all dust and pollen via a filter.  This is similar to how many air filters work, but unlike certain others, this one has actually been tested and proven to work.  The efficacy of an air filter is the most important quality that you must look for when making a purchase decision, and you can be sure that the Blueair 501 definitely works.

After a short while with the Bluair 501, you will notice that the air around you simply feels better to breathe, and you may find a difference in the quality of your breathing.  This is because air filters make the oxygen more pure, and since that is the most important part of air, that is definitely a good thing.

The Blueair 501 truly is one of the best air purifiers out there, but that means that it comes with a pretty hefty price tag.  In essence, you must pay for the strong confidence that you have in the product.  This is the case with many brands, and if you can afford it, a high quality air purifier is definitely a good investment.  Keep in mind that this personal air purifier is one of the best, so if it is not in your budget, there are still others out there that can work almost as well.

How Air Purifiers Work

It is important for us to know how things we use operate.  This is not only for the sole sake of knowledge, but being informed helps us make better decisions that make things better for us in the long run.  Since air purifiers can be expensive, you want your purchase to go as far as it can, just like with a car.

The basic premise of an air purifier is that it sucks in air, removes all or most of the contaminants, and then releases it back in to your home in a better state.  While that sounds simple, the actual process and the engineering of the device is more complex, yet still fairly easy to understand.

Air purifiers of the past picked up much less than what the quality ones of today do.  In addition to pollen, dust, smoke, and other allergens, modern air purifiers can take out bacteria and viruses as well.  The vast amount of contaminants removed from the air is extremely beneficial for those with breathing problems, and advantages are available for everyone, no matter what kind of health they have.

The most simple form of purification is a basic filter, which lets through air but traps particles that are bigger than a certain size.  For example, HEPA filters can trap nearly all particles down to a hundredth of a micrometer.  Virtually all dust and common allergens fit this profile, so HEPA filters work well for the majority of the population.  Also, they use less energy than other filters and release no contaminants of their own.

A more advanced filtration technique is that of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.  With this technique, UV lights are placed discreetly inside the device, and they blast air coming past it with the rays.  These bursts of short-wavelength light sterilize the air by decomposing the microorganisms.

The type of purification usually found advertised the most is that of ionic purification (like the Ionic Breeze).  The machine generations gas ions, which attach to contaminants in the air, and these negative ions (anions) are filtered out.

There are several other types of interesting filtration methods, such as photocatalytic oxidation, which catalyzes the oxidation of bacteria through light (photo), in a similar manner to ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.  Being that there are so many different types of filters out there, you need to find which one would work best for your home, as certain methods have advantages over others.

Watching Out for Bad Air Purifiers

Unlike man, not all air purifiers are created equal.  In an ideal world, every product that we bought would work as advertised and with the greatest effectiveness.  However, some businesses prefer to cut back on the quality of their products in order to make more money, and to compensate for the inferior specs of their devices, they simply invent clever marketing tactics to trick people in to buying what they are selling.  The case is no different when it comes to air purifiers, and there have been some controversial cases involving faulty air purifiers that have caused quite a stir within this industry.

The most controversial case regarding air purifiers was the turbulence between Consumer Reports and Sharper Image regarding the Ionic Breeze, which had several incarnations.  Consumer Reports and another similar firm tested the Ionic Breeze and found that it hardly removed any contaminants from the air at all.  If that were not bad enough, it was also found that the machine was releasing dangerous amounts of ozone, so not only was the machine not helping, but it was hurting!  People were paying hundreds of dollars to hurt themselves, and not too many people were happy about hearing such news.  Due to this and other factors, Sharper Image was driven in to bankruptcy and almost completely out of business, but it still exists today and provides several quality products.

One should not be deterred from purchasing an air purifier just because of some negative publicity in the past.  The fact remains that good air purifiers are effective and can improve the health for those who use them.  You can find an optimal air purifier by reading customer reviews of the products first, and by looking to see if any scientific testing has been done on them.  Using these resources together, you can make an informed purchasing decision, and end up with a high quality personal air purifier that will clean the air in your home for years to come.

Benefits of Owning a Personal Air Purifier

Air purifiers can be somewhat expensive, so what is the point in getting one in the first place?  Many people consider air purifiers to be luxuries and not worth the price tag.  While many expensive things can be considered extraneous, air purifiers are a necessity for thousands and a convenience for mostly everyone else.

There are some people who truly do not need any type of air purification.  They naturally have strong lungs and no breathing and/or health problems, so there really would be no advantage to owning such a device.  Keep in mind that if you do not need an air purifier yet, you may need one in the future.  Also, even if you are perfectly fine, a persona lair purifier would be crucial to preventing problems or infections in the future, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (or however the saying goes).

Where air purifiers really come in to play are for those with allergies, asthma, or other breathing problems.  The device takes out the dirt and other allergens from the air so all you are breathing is pure freshness.  This will contribute to the total elimination of problems such as coughing, sneezing, wheezing, and runny noses.  For those who have to deal with these inhibiting factors on a daily basis, relief from them is truly a miracle.

Think about it; you are breathing twenty four hours a day, seven days a week (except when you are holding your breath for some reason).  If you are doing this much breathing, don’t you want to be taking in something that is good?  Constantly breathing in impurities is not only bad for your lungs, but can affect many other parts of your body as well.  Breathing clean air will make you feel better and deliver other positive health benefits.

Once you get a personal air purifier, you will be able to feel the results quickly.  The transition from dirty air to clean air is a noticeable one, and you will appreciate the new found pleasures of clean breathing to a great extent.

When people are asked what is necessary for survival, the first things that come to mind are food, water, and shelter.  It can be easy to forget that all of these things are meaningless without air.  Even if you were homeless and starving, if your air was taken away, your focus would shift from everything else in your life to that one breath that you simply must take.  Hopefully you appreciate air on a higher level now, and will consider getting yourself a personal air purifier.

Welcome to Your Personal Air Purifier!

Air purifiers are so important for maintaining the health and well being of our bodies, which is why I have taken it upon myself to educate you about the options out there when it comes to choosing a personal air purifier.